Far from replacing any of the current services that each user can receive, ARI has the potential to help quickly detect urgent situations arising in the home, such as falls or household accidents, helping to guide users in taking medication or to remember dates of interest such as medical visits, as well as resolving occasional doubts from users.

The robots are intended for elderly people in the initial stages of cognitive deterioration and dependency, to improve their quality of emotional life and strengthen their social support network. They will also generate learning to optimise the City Council’s telecare service, with the experience providing a base for future initiatives that combine technology and social care.

Of the 600 social robots in the trial, 400 will operate in private homes and the other 200, managed by the Catalan government’s Ministry of Social Rights, will be installed in homes for the elderly in the city as a complementary element for the care of elderly and vulnerable citizens. The base investment for the tendering process is 3,799,023 euros, to be provided through EU Next Generation Funds.